As the publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, I value all subscribers. But this member of the R-J reading family caught my eye: George W. Bush.
Earlier this month, the president of the United States became an electronic subscriber to the Review-Journal. He paid up for two years. The check cleared.
Of course, I have no illusions that the president and the first lady are at this moment sitting down to breakfast and the Review-Journal. The R-J is no doubt read by some denizen of the White House, who might report an item of interest to the president's advisers. Nevertheless, it's an honor to have the White House as a subscriber.
What is the electronic version of the R-J, you ask? Well, it is not the Internet version, which is a compilation of news stories produced by the R-J staff. The electronic version of the R-J is a product that replicates the complete and full Review-Journal exactly as it comes off our presses each morning. The electronic R-J is in a soft launch, meaning we're not heavily promoting it yet. But, if you are curious, feel free to take a quick advance look at the demo at:http://us2.newsmemory.com/ee/lasvegasreviewjournal/.
We will soon market the electronic Review-Journal throughout Nevada and the world. Print subscribers in Las Vegas will mightily benefit because the electronic version will be extended to all existing print subscribers who desire it for the nominal fee of 50 cents per week.
If you're now wondering whether that was a shameless promotion of the Review-Journal, the answer is no.
This is a shameless promotion: So hurry, subscribe to the home-delivered print version of the Review-Journal and get the electronic R-J for only 50 cents more a week! Never leave home again without full and complete access to your Las Vegas Review-Journal daily via your laptop, BlackBerry or PDA. Operators are standing by: 383-0400.
OK, maybe all of this was a bit promotional. Forgive me. I am, after all, the publisher of Las Vegas' oldest and Nevada's largest and most complete newspaper. When it comes to extolling the virtues of my newspaper, I am shameless.
OUR BEST GOVERNOR
Who was Nevada's best governor? I've asked a number of people. It's completely unscientific, but the emerging winner seems to be Grant Sawyer.
Most Nevadans know nothing about Sawyer. He served in the governor's mansion from 1959 through 1966. In addition to running the state in a time of big social change, many count him as the best because he instituted the framework for modern Nevada gaming control, and thus ushered in a prolonged period of growth in gaming.
From Grant's oral history "Hang Tough," he said, "When I took office I wanted gaming control to be strengthened. ... I proposed that the Tax Commission should henceforth be dedicated exclusively to tax matters, and replaced as gaming regulator by a state gaming commission, with the Gaming Control Board given the responsibility of enforcing the gaming laws."
He made that plan the first order of business in 1959. It passed the Legislature and thus was born our modern form of casino governance.
"For my appointees," Sawyer said, "I went with people who had a high profile in law enforcement. It made no difference to me whether they were Republican or Democrat, but they had to be people who could command respect on the national level as well as the state. ... I looked for integrity. ... You had to be sure your appointees were incorruptible: that they would not take advantage of their positions financially or otherwise; they wouldn't even take free tickets to a ball game. I wouldn't put any of my friends on the commission or the board, either."
Imagine a governor making appointments regardless of political party and excluding friends.
If you like reading the View, you will love reading the Review-Journal delivered to your doorstep on a daily basis. It is filled with Las Vegas' best and most complete news, sports, features and opinions such as the above column by Publisher Sherman Frederick, which originally appeared in the Review-Journal Feb. 4. To catch his newest columns, call 383-0400 to subscribe. To reach him directly, e-mail sfredericks@reviewjournal.com.
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